Mid-Year Update from the Union Board President

As we enter into the fall, the 113th Indiana Memorial Union Board would like to share an update on what we have accomplished so far and what we have in store for the upcoming semester. We have worked on the foundation laid by the 112th Board to put forth inclusive and entertaining in-person programming for the campus body as we slowly adjust to life after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Union Board has focused on reimagining how we approach programming over this year, and we centered our approach around the idea of unorthodox programming that tries to provide students with opportunities that they couldn’t get elsewhere. One way we did this was through the Out & about committee’s “Newfields Fieldtrip” where we took students on an all-inclusive trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art to view their Van Gogh exhibit. Another exciting event put up by our Films & Entertainment committee was our showing of “The Batman” where we rented out an entire AMC to give students a private showing where they could watch a blockbuster film alongside their friends.

In addition to finding new, out-of-the-box ways of programming, we also capitalized on our roots by expanding our existing successful programs such as celebrating IU Day with a carnival put up by our Spirits & Traditions committee. We also provided students an outlet during stressful times by bringing back our annual De-Stress week filled with events such as Succulent Paint-A-Pots, Sunset Yoga, and Rage Rooms. Our main goal has been to ease students back into in-person programming and showcase all IU has to offer to its campus body.

As we move into the next semester, we continue to work on reimagining what the board and its approach should look like to be able to best serve the campus body. We are aiming to bring back the sorely missed large-scale events such as concerts, lectures, festivals, and comedy shows while also encouraging directors to create other forms of innovative high-quality programming to give IU students a true Hoosier experience. Thank you, and if you need any information on our current plans or upcoming events, please reach out to me at ubpres@indiana.edu.

Diptanshu Rao
2022 Union Board President